Another plan, more talk in academic standards debate

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Some elements of the Profile of Learning graduation standards would survive under a new plan being pushed by the chairman of the Senate Education Committee.

Sen. Steve Kelley's 145-page bill contained a detailed picture of Minnesota's public school system, from how to judge schools to the elements of student transcripts.

Kelley, DFL-Hopkins, said he tried to strike a balance between the Profile's approach and the call for more specific, content-based standards championed by Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke.

"I like to think we are in a refining process and not a revolutionary process," said Kelley, DFL-Hopkins.

Yecke said Kelley's proposal was micromanagement because it contains the actual standards he wants to see implemented. The standards in Kelley's bill are based on work by the state education department under Gov. Jesse Ventura's administration, which sought to address criticisms of the Profile.